Documenting Jean de Villiers’ Road To Recovery | Part One

Jean de Villiers The Road to Recovery is a three part documentary, directed and produced by Shoestring Productions, that follows the Springbok captain on his journey to recovery from a massive knee injury sustained in the 57th minute against Wales in Cardiff on 29 November 2014. At the heart of Jean’s story is courage and determination, the kind of fortitude that could resonate not only with rugby fans, but with anyone looking to be inspired.

Part one of the documentary, which is narrated by Matt Pearce, opens with footage from the 1995 Rugby World Cup game against New Zealand at Ellis Park Stadium, a monumental win for South Africa when the Webb Ellis Cup become a symbol of a new and unified nation, this setting a positive tone and a sense of overcoming adversities for the documentary.

Viewers are given a brief background on the peaks and pitfalls of Jean’s career, touching on his rise to becoming South Africa’s most capped centre of all time, being nominated as player of the year twice and ultimately becoming the 54th captain of the Springboks in 2012; as well as multiple extensive injuries that are the result of the wear and tear of super rugby. This leads up to his 2014 final game in Cardiff where South Africa played against Wales, the game that saw Jean laying in agony on the turf and his dreams for the 2015 World Cup put in jeopardy.

The documentary features comments from the de Villiers family, Springbok physiotherapist Rene Naylor, Springbok physician Dr. Craig Roberts, to name a few, as well as Dr. Spike Erasmus explaining the severity of Jean’s injury, what that could mean for his recovery process and his chances of being back on the field in time for the Rugby World Cup.

Will Jean make it to the Twickenham turf? Regardless of the answer, it’s a journey Shoestring Productions will document, every step of the way.